Should information on snitches be kept secret?

Freedom of information meets the reality of the streets, where many people don’t trust the cops:

Philadelphia police and prosecutors are investigating an anonymous Instagram account with thousands of followers that for months has been identifying witnesses in violent crimes across the city – aiming, in its creator’s words, to "expose rats."

The account, called rats215, has outed more than 30 witnesses since February, posting photos, police statements, and testimony on the photo-sharing website.

Because many of the statements posted aren’t public records, authorities are investigating the page as a potential act of mass witness intimidation – in a city where police and prosecutors struggle daily to find witnesses willing to testify.

Police issued search warrants and Instagram closed the account. As of November 2013 they had not yet identified the account’s owner.